Police are investigating after video footage emerged on YouTube of a drone flying extremely close to a passenger jet thats about to land.

Published: 25 April 2019 - 8:03 a.m.

By: Logistics Middle East Staff

An ExpressJet Airlines plane being operated for a United Airlines flight from Knoxville, Tennessee, to Houston, Texas, in the US was forced to make an emergency landing after the flight crew became worried they’d end up ‘flying blind’.

Footage from inside the plane shows the pilot telling passengers he had "lost two screens" and was running the risk of "flying blind" because some of the aircraft's mechanisms were overheating.

"You may be able to see we lost two of our screens and if we kept flying, we'd lose them all eventually because there is not enough cooling and there is tremendous heat behind those screens,” the pilot told passengers after landing.

"This dictates that we land as soon as possible because if we had continued, eventually I'd be flying blind. So that is why we are in Dallas right now."

The pilot added that it is "unlikely this aircraft is going anywhere tonight".

A spokesman for ExpressJet Airlines said the plane "diverted to Dallas and landed safely following a mechanical issue".

He added: "Customers deplaned normally and we are working to get our customers on their way to their destination as soon as possible."